Kim’s Dream Orlan Ravanera
Why Did You Surrender Our Prior Rights, Donating Our Farms To Be Part of Military Reservation?
We were so shocked and puzzled no end why on December 18, 2020, Mr. Rodrigo Abellano who was then our President of the Kibaritan Tenant Farmers Association, Inc. wrote then President Rodrigo Roa Duterte that, “AMO NA GINAHATAG ANG AMONG GI-UGMAD NGA YUTA SA DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE.” Such is not only blatantly fictitious but the height of hypocrisy, one hundred percent turn-around and shameless reversal of what we have been fighting for the titling of our land which we have been occupying in the past 50, 60 and even 70 years when our ancestors have begun their occupancy since the 1950s. Thus, we have already acquired prior right and never can we imagine that these leaders who must fight for our right were the ones who outrightly surrendered such right in connivance with the former Mayor Omaraji Pizzaro. Why?
With our prior right, we have been advocating for the titling of our land, the reason why we organized ourselves into an association, electing Mr. Rodrigo Abellano as President and Mr. Andres Alar as Vice-President. With that noble intention of land titling, these leaders had been collecting ₱500 per home lot and ₱1,000 per hectare from every member for the land titling and non-stop collection for other expenses, i.e., lawyers’ fee, for their traveling expenses and for emergency purposes. Since 2008 to 2020, these officers have more or less collected from us some ₱1,500,000, without even issuing receipts. What is even more troubling to us is that these officers requested for our signatures, informing us that our signatures are among the requirements for the land titling. All these years, no title has been issued. What has now troubled us was the information that Mr. Abellano has written Malacañang that we are surrendering our right to DND which was confirmed by a letter we have seen recently addressed to then President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed by then association president Abellano stating that. “amo na ginahatag ang yuta nga among gi-ugmad sa Department of National Defense.” What is even more troubling is the information that even our signatures had been used which is giving our consent to have the 195 hectare-area as part of the military reservation. That is the greatest lie, a betrayal of our trust. For what? For money making?
Mr. President, such declaration that we have given our consent is a blatant lie. Those who have sent the letter to Malacañang must be made accountable as they have fooled the Office of the President! These leaders have, in fact, already been ousted and they were replaced by newly elected leaders with courage and integrity to fight for our rights as we have now organized ourselves into the Kibaritan Farmers St. Peter’s Higaonon Tribe Agriculture Cooperative.
Even the Department of Environment & Natural Resources has received false information that we have given our consent of surrendering our prior right which may have been the basis of the conduct of a Relocation Survey. We were puzzled to know that no less the former Secretary of the DND, Hon. Gen. Delfin Lorenzana and former DENR Sec. Hon. Gen. Roy Cimatu, signed a Memorandum of Agreement for the conduct of a survey, paying three Geodetic Firms some 20,000,000 pesos without even the participation of agencies, i.e., DAR which has formerly certified that area was classified as Alenable & Disposable. Not even the LGU has been informed of such survey which can certify that the occupants have already acquired prior right and their certification that Sitio Kibaritan is already a community with an Elementary School, a chapel and Day-Care Center as such declaration will be very dangerous to the community. Such precautionary warning has been utterly disregarded, thus, three innocent children became victims of an UXO explosion as a firing range has been established some 100 meters near the elementary school without even a warning sign.
That Relocation Survey that has classified our area as part of the military reservation has put the Department of Agrarian Reform in quandary as to whether to issue Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) which has totally disregard the Kalilangan ‘s Sangguniang Bayan’s resolution for the DAR’s issuance of the CLOA to the present occupants based on their prior right in a land that no less the DAR has classified before as A & D.
Oh, how painful and so devastating! Mr.Rodrigo Abellano and Mr. Andres Alar, because of your traitorous act, falsification and grossly misrepresenting us you have fooled not only Malacañang but also DND, DENR & DAR,
This time, we are serving notice to one and all of the greatest travesty committed by the two previous leaders whom we have charged in court for MASSIVE STAFFA. WE NOW STAND AS ONE AND WITH A FIRM COLLECTIVE INTENT TO RECTIFY A GREAT SOCIAL WRONG AND SOCIAL INJUSTICE THAT HAS EVEN CAUSED THE DEATH OF THREE CHILDREN! LET JUSTICE BE DONE TILL HEAVEN FALLS!
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